Coventry moved into the Championship playoff places after a dramatic 1-0 victory over visitors Portsmouth.
The game seemed destined for a frustrating stalemate from the hosts’ perspective, but substitute Jamie Paterson had other ideas. The 33-year-old attacker struck a high-class winner, volleying home in the fourth minute of added time as Coventry went above Middlesbrough and into sixth spot.
It was a magic moment for Paterson, who was born in Coventry but joined the Sky Blues for the first time in February after leaving MLS side Charlotte in August. “The technical nature of the goal was amazing. Great skill and great agility and finish,” said the Coventry manager, Frank Lampard.
“And the story of Patto himself, being a Coventry fan as a kid to being without a club, coming and training with us and earning a contract. He’s been brilliant around the group, on and off the pitch, and he’s a quality player, so I am delighted that I brought him on.”
“I know he can score, he’s done it throughout his career,” Lampard added. “But that level of goal in that moment, I think it’s a collective one for the stadium, the players and the fans because we have shown that this group has got character. At the moment the club is very, very together. And we need to keep going with that.”
Bottom club Plymouth remain three points adrift at the foot of the table with just five games remaining following a 3-0 defeat at Swansea. All the damage was done during an opening 45 minutes when Swansea had complete control, never looking back after Lewis O’Brien gave them an early lead.
Harry Darling scored the second goal and Josh Key added a third before half-time. The Swans’ caretaker manager, Alan Sheehan, has collected 14 points from eight league games since taking the reins following the departure of Luke Williams in February.
“Every time we have an opportunity to move closer and take a big step we can’t,” said Plymouth’s manager, Miron Muslic. “That’s why I’m disappointed and why we are in this situation. I know the difficulty of this task but it’s possible.” After beating Norwich 2-1 at home on Saturday, Argyle host Sheffield United this weekend.
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Oxford were left just three points above the relegation zone after QPR beat them 3-1 at the Kassam Stadium. Ronnie Edwards put QPR ahead with a header in the seventh minute, before their advantage was doubled just before the interval through an Ole Romeny own goal.
Stanley Mills pulled a goal back for Oxford midway through the second half, but Yang Min-hyeok made certain of maximum points for the visitors with a left-footed strike in added time. The QPR captain, Sam Field, was taken to hospital as a precaution after suffering a head injury and dizziness.
“With the performance that we put in last Saturday [in the 1-0 win] against Sheffield United, what you can’t then do is put in an abject performance for 30 minutes as we did,” said the Oxford manager, Gary Rowett. “Not trying to take anything away from QPR, but the first two goals we just gave away.”
